hassett says lawmakers need to think outside the box. >> what we need to do is stop fighting about the bush tax cuts and start thinking about what we can do to give ourselves the kind of growth that we need to bring the unemployment rate down. >> reporter: high unemployment could unjam political gridlock as democrats and republicans make compromises to boost the economy. but high deficits will make that a tough task. stephanie dhue, "nightly business report," washington. >> tom: here are the stories in tonight's n.b.r. newswheel: stocks end the week with a whimper: the dow rose nine points, the nasdaq was up a point, and the s&p 500 gained four. trading volume dropped from yesterday's levels on both the nyse and the nasdaq. fewer people are signing contracts to buy a home. the national association of realtors says pending home sales dipped in september falling 1.8%. economists had expected a gain of 3%. bank of america won't be buying back any bad mortgages. the banker today rejected calls from several big investors to do that. those investors, including the new york fed claim b. of a.

the panelists will be andrew biggs from aei, kevin hassett from aei and robert stein from first trust advisers and finally, to round out table is that probably the most difficult set of questions of all. a lot of politicians in the last election said that if they were elected, they would be guided in all of their legislative actions from the u.s. constitution. what does that mean day-to-day, when we're talking about budget, regulation, taxes. practically speaking is that an achievable goal? panel three today is the constitution, a repairman you'll. and our panelists thereby michael greve, from aei, and matthew spalding from the heritage foundation. matthew spoon will be the moderator, i should note that steven view he sp propublica -- that steven spruel will be the moderator for our third panel. >> again, kate o'bierne, we're delighted to be joining aei this morning, to be addressing crucial issues. with the election over, candidates are policymakers and it's our term, it's time for the policy community to analyze options for change and the agenda that promises to deliver during the c